Besides, you get access to three more original PS1 games as of today, and that includes the great strategy/RPG, Final Fantasy Tactics. You can download and play it on either your PS3 or PSP and all you need is 1000 yen (about $10); it's at a premium...

Reality check: Cutler will be a fantasy disappointment - USA Today

Chances are, though, that Cutler will have a difficult time being as much of a fantasy hero as the Bears hope he will be for them. First, let's debunk the notion that Cutler is one of the league's elite quarterbacks by looking at some key statistics...

New PSP Final Fantasy Bundle - IGN

by Ryan Clements May 14, 2009 - The official playstation Blog has some appealing news for Final Fantasy fans. PSP Marketing Manager Kristin Neirinckx made a post today announcing a slick-looking PSP bundle available exclusively at gamestop....

Fantasy football: The Lingerie Football League - Kansas City Star

Tryouts were held on Long Island Thursday for the New York Majesty expansion team. One male reporter from wpix.com drew the short straw (yeah, right) and had to interview the dozen women who showed up in their underwear to try out....

Fantasy baseball: Thursday wrap - Newsday

BY ADAM RONIS The Marlins are committed to giving Chris Coghlan a lot of playing time. He showed good plate discipline and stole bases in the minor leagues. He hit his first homer Wednesday and went 1-for-3 with a walk and stolen base today....

Fantasy Baseball Breaking News - Rotoworld.com

Chien-Ming Wang (hip, foot) will make his second rehab start Sunday, according to manager Joe Girardi. Wang looked good in tossing six shutout innings for Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Tuesday, allowing just three hits. If everything goes well SUnday,...

Broward sells 2 winning Fantasy 5 tickets - MiamiHerald.com

Two of the seven tickets that split Tuesday night's Fantasy 5 jackpot were sold in Broward County and another was sold in Miami-Dade, and each is worth $29829.66, the Florida Lottery said Wednesday. Tuesday's numbers were 7, 10, 17, 22 and 25....

Fantasy Basketball Breaking News - Rotoworld.com

Josh Howard will be in New York next week to get a second opinion on his injured left ankle. He is expected to need arthroscopic surgery. Howard has said for a while that he'll need offseason surgery -- the injury cost him 22 games during the regular...

Being part of strong Mets' lineup will help his fantasy value, but Tatis is more valuable in NL-only leagues at this point. If Murphy does get used at 1B frequently in the event of Delgado being placed on the DL, OF Gary Sheffield could then see more...

Fantasy, horror and "sophisticated suspense" - Comic Book Movie

In the early 1970s (during the Bronze Age), Marvel revived these genres with their new fantasy and horror comics, including Conan the Barbarian by Roy Thomas, and The Tomb of Dracula. Steve Gerber's work on Man-Thing and Howard the Duck was also very...

Fantasy football (American)

Fantasy football is a fantasy sports game in which participants (called "owners") are arranged into a league. The person who creates the league is called the commissioner, and that person invites other owners into his/her league. Each team drafts or acquires via auction a team of real-life American football players and then scores points based on those players' [[statistic es. A typical fantasy league will employ players from a single football league, such as the NFL or an NCAA division. Leagues can be arranged in which the winner is the team with the most total points at the end of the season, or in a head-to-head format (which mirrors the actual NFL) in which each team plays against a single opponent each week. At the end of the year, win-loss records determine league rankings or qualification into a playoff bracket. Most leagues set aside the last weeks of the regular season for their own playoffs.

The game originated in 1962 from an idea of Bill Winkenbach, then a limited partner in the Oakland Raiders, with assistance from Bill Tunnell, the Raiders' public relations man, Scotty Stirling, the beat writer from the Oakland Tribune, and George Ross, the Tribune's sports editor, as well as Philip Carmona, Winkenbach's friend. The idea emerged during a three-week road trip the Raiders took to the East Coast. Winkenbach and the others fleshed out the idea during the trip, and upon their return, formed the first fantasy football league, the GOPPPL (Greater Oakland Professional Pigskin Prognosticators League).. With the rise of personal computers and the Internet in the late 1990s, the participation in and popularity of fantasy football increased to the level of prominence it holds today. Most leagues are now hosted online through providers such as CBS, ESPN, NFL.com, and Yahoo!, typically at no charge, making the game extremely accessible. Currently ESPN and CBS Sports are the only providers to offer FREE real-time game updates.

If Bill Winkenbach is the origin of fantasy football, than the team of Michael Rand and Joshua Schnell are its ambassadors. This duo, known in fantasy circles as "P-Squared" did for the fantasy game, what Lawrence Taylor did for the real game. Credited with innovations such as the double defense strategy and the tiered ranking system these two brought a game formerly played by a select few, to the forefront of American culture. Their aforementioned concepts, in addition with newer developments such as the "QB can wait" strategy and the "boot" penalty have changed the game from what it was, into the institution it currently is.

The two main types of competition formats are 1) Head-to-head, with weekly games played against specific opponents (much like in the NFL), and 2) total points, in which cumulative points during the season determine winners (or playoff teams).

Leagues can consist of anywhere from 4 to as many as 20 teams. There are three major types: redraft, "keeper" leagues, and dynasty leagues. In a redraft, each owner starts with no players at the beginning of each season and drafts an entire fantasy team. Each owner in a keeper league is allowed to retain a small number of players they owned during the previous season, eliminating these players from the draft, while each owner in a dynasty league is allowed to retain as many players as desired from the previous season, with the draft encompassing only rookies and other unowned (or un-retained) players.

Players are drafted on a team in three main formats. One of these is the serpentine/snake draft, in which the draft order from the first round is reversed in the second round, then reversed again in every round thereafter, thus creating a snakelike progression. Another is the "standard" draft system, in which draft order is maintained throughout. The last is an auction system, in which owners bid on players using a predetermined budget.

The salary cap football league is a particular type of dynasty league which adds another factor of realism similar to the NFL: the salary cap. Just like in the NFL, this means each player has an associated salary and the total spent on all the players on a team has a maximum - the "salary cap." This can have many levels of complexity, e.g. a player may be signed for multiple years, etc.

A new style of fantasy football is modeled after the popular "survivor pool" or "knock out pool" style of weekly NFL wagering that allows each pool member to pick one NFL team to win each week, but he or she can only pick that team once all year.

Similarly, survivor fantasy leagues allow owners to draft a fresh team of seven players each week, with each player only available to each owner one week per year. This added level of strategy places an emphasis on weekly NFL match ups, while at the same time diminishing the negative consequences of injuries.

Another type of league, that allows for year round fantasy football is called Simulation Football. Simulation Football uses a computer to simulate the games with simulated players, instead of relying on the NFL for its players and stats. The most basic type is a GM league, where all the player has to do is put together a team and the computer does most of the work. A much more involved type of simulation football is called a "Create-a-Player" or CAP league. In a CAP league, top players vie for the chance to be a GM and put together a team using players that are created by other people. There are different types of scoring for determining who is a "top player" but the people are charged with making their player as good as possible using the league's scoring system.

Another recent arrival to fantasy football is the RotoHog-style budget-based high-roster-turnover game. The RotoHog game provides traditional points-based competition while providing a fantasy sports stock simulation-type market for trading players. While managers are required to field a roster of players that will score the most points on any given week, they have the ability to trade any player at any time on a market with continuously moving player prices.

The popularity of fantasy football has filtered down into the collegiate level as well. Fantasy College Football is gaining in popularity as diehard fantasy players and college football fanatics combine two of their favorite passions into one. The most popular leagues involve the BCS only schools while other leagues incorporate all Football Championship Series schools or even just the "non-BCS" schools.

Just like in real football, each year fantasy football leagues have a draft (note: in dynasty leagues, this normally consists of NFL rookies only), in which each team drafts NFL players. These players are kept unless "dropped" (aka become free agents) or are traded. In most leagues, no player may be owned by more than one team, (although some leagues do allow for this).

There are essentially two types of drafts. In a traditional "serpentine" (aka "snake") draft, owners take turns drafting players in a "serpentine" method, i.e. the owner who picks 1st in the odd rounds picks last in the even rounds, in the interests of fairness. In an auction draft, each owner has an (imaginary) budget which he must use to purchase all his players in an auction format, ie players are nominated and bid on, and the owner who bids the highest on each player receives that player (reducing their remaining budget accordingly).

It is widely considered that draft day is the single most important day in the fantasy football season, despite the fact that no games are played.

Destination drafts have now become routine as many fantasy football managers have moved to different locations over time, but still enjoy competing against the same managers. With the internet sites moving fantasy football to a virtual event, many still crave the excitement of being all together during a draft. Locations usually involve a restaurant, casino, or large meeting space and some leagues conduct large, extravagant drafts that last multiple days.

Free agents and trades are integral components to maintaining a competitive roster throughout the duration of a season. Free agents exist in fantasy leagues that do not allow multiple teams to have any one professional athlete. In these leagues, free agents are professional players that are not currently on any league members' rosters. You can add, or claim, players anytime during the season.

Some leagues have trade deadlines that are set, and others have a waiver period before free agents can be picked up. This really depends as to how the league is set up. When a trade is proposed and accepted in some leagues there can be a voting period which will allow the league to decide if the trade is acceptable or not.

Often within fantasy football leagues trades are made that cause controversy and are considered unfair by many other members of the league. These disputes are often settled by fantasy football trade referees. These third party sites feature experienced fantasy players who rule on trades and offer an objective third party opinion.

You may not need to use trade referees if your league uses the voting system in which the league can approve or decline the trade that has been placed. In some leagues if there is a voting period and a trade referee in place, the trade referee can over rule the league voting and this can cause controversy as well.

Each team is allowed a pre-determined number of players on its team, as well as a specified number at each position that can or must be used in each game (the "starters"). Owners for each team then determine each week which players will start (within the rules) and which will be "benched". Just like in real football, bench players can become starters for various reasons: due to other players' injury, poor performance, or if another player's team has a bye.

Each week, owners choose their starters for a game before a certain deadline. Whether to sit or start a player is usually based on strategic considerations including the player's past and expected performance, defensive match ups, and so on.

There are of course many variants on this. Some leagues use individual defensive players (IDPs) (and in some cases a punter) instead of or in addition to a combined Team Defense/Special Teams. Some other leagues use separate Defense and Special Teams. Another variant is the "flex" position, which can be filled by a player in one of several positions. Flex positions are often limited to "WR/TE", "RB/WR", or "RB/WR/TE". Traditionally, this flex was required to be an RB, WR, or TE, however, some leagues allow any position to fill this flex slot as an "OP" (any Offensive Player). Although rare, some leagues do also have a 2 quarterback requirement for a starting lineup, yet providing another twist into the complexity of different scoring systems and lineups (Hendricks, 2007 Fantasy Football Guidebook pg 21-44) Fantasy Football Guidebook.

Players earn their team points based on their performance in their weekly games; for example, each touchdown counts as 6 points, a certain number of yards gained counts for points, and so on. In almost all cases, players earn points for passing, rushing, and receiving yards. Passing yards (sometimes touchdowns as well) typically earn about half as many points as rushing/receiving yards, since QBs normally get many more. Negative points are also usually given for turnovers, and kickers earn points for field goals and extra points (sometimes negative points for missed kicks). Bonuses can also be given for exceptionally good performances, like a QB throwing for over 300 yards, or a kicker making a long field goal. Team defenses earn points for things like sacks, turnovers, safeties, etc. Individual defensive players typically do not earn points for team-wide stats such as keeping the opponent under a certain score or yardage total, but rather for tackles or turnovers made.

An alternate scoring format is the "pure yardage" league, in which touchdowns are ignored, and each player's passing, rushing and receiving yards are totaled. Some yardage leagues also convert defensive stats into yards (ex., 50 yards for an interception, 20 yards for a sack), whether for a team's defense, or individual players. Another scoring system counts only touchdowns, touchdown passes, and field goals for points.

Many leagues have now incorporated Individual Defensive Player (IDP) play into their scoring systems. IDP play typically has roster space for three groups of defensive players: defensive linemen (DL), linebackers (LB) and defensive backs (DB).

Many Fantasy Football players are passionate about their hobby and are always looking for ways to gain an advantage over their competition. Magazines, websites, books, and software are available that provide fantasy players with the information they need to make better decisions. Many of the most experienced Fantasy Football players subscribe to the "RB early and often" theory. This strategy places emphasis on landing 3 or 4 starting RB's. The logic behind the theory is that a superstar running back generally provides much more value over the course of a season than a replacement-level running back, especially when compared to other key positions . This coupled with the fact that most leagues start a least 2 RB means the value of having many top tier RB's outweighs having top players at QB and WR.

One secondary theory that emerged from the RB early and often theory is the idea of handcuffing star players to their backup. Handcuffing is the drafting of two players from the same team in the same position to protect the investment in the top player. For example, if one were to invest a high draft pick in a high performance, though injury prone RB, it would be wise to draft the backup to this player in the later rounds. If the star player got injured you then automatically have a new 'starter' who will often be in position to put up numbers similar to that of the starter.

A final strategy consists of drafting QB to WR combo's. This is good for players like Randy Moss and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, or Terrell Owens and Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys. Any time one of the player scores, the points scored on the play in question double for your team. This is often called double-dipping. Fantasy owners should be warned though that there are some drawbacks to this theory. The first problem is if you have too many players on the same team you will have your good players on the same 'bye' weeks and will likely be unable to furnish your best team that week. Another drawback is that if you have a QB/WR combo and the QB has a bad week, it will result in both players not performing well on your roster.

During head to head league play, the Stojka Gambit is often used as a defensive tactic. The gambit consists of offsetting an opponent's best player by countering with a teammate, such as offsetting a QB by playing his go to wide receiver. Often very effective, the gambit is nonetheless a risky tactic as it can often result in lower points for the team emplying the tactic. Variations of the Stojka Gambit can be used with defensive players but it primarily is used in head to head league play.

The explosive popularity of fantasy sports, coupled with the availability of venues showcasing numerous live football games via satellite, has had significant effects on football viewing and rooting habits among participants. Fantasy sports players watch more game telecasts, buy more tickets and spend money at stadiums at a much higher rate than general sports fans. For example, 55 percent of fantasy sports players report watching more sports on television since they started playing fantasy sports. The NFL entered into a reported five-year, $600 million deal in 2006 with Sprint that was driven at least in part because of fantasy sports, allowing subscribers to draft and monitor their teams with their cellphones.

Critics charge that rather than supporting a favorite team in any one game, some fantasy owners may instead support the players on their fantasy rosters. Players are mixed on the impact of the effects of fantasy football on fans' habits and preferences. In interviews with ESPN, retired NFL QB Jake Plummer stated, "I think it's ruined the game." And, as retired New York Giants RB Tiki Barber noted about fantasy fans, "there's an incongruity in the wants.". However, Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley plays in four fantasy football leagues himself.

For instance, a fantasy owner might have the quarterback from one team and the running back from the opposing team on his roster, and end up hoping both teams score frequently. However, he will only cheer passing scores from the first team and running scores from the second. As another example, if a team is up by many touchdowns, the "owner" of a running back on the losing team may be upset since the losing team will prefer passing instead of rushing for the score.

Often, a fantasy owner may end up watching a game he would otherwise have had no interest in, simply because he "owns" one or more of the players involved. Also, many longtime fans refuse to draft players who play for 'their team's rivals, thus preventing the problem of cheering against their team. Fantasy football has had a net positive benefit in increased knowledge of players at all positions, not just the traditionally regarded "skill positions." For example, there is a premium placed on knowing who the starting tight end is for every team in the league, or the backup running backs, or even available place kickers who may be picked up by a playoff contender. This has helped increase the popularity of the league, and given status to fantasy football fans who take the time to learn the sport.

Fantasy (Earth, Wind & Fire song)

Fantasy has been sampled by Puff Daddy ft Ma$e in the song on Puff Daddy's album Forever. It has also been sampled in "Live Now" by Nas from the album Street's Disciple, Shawty" by Piles from the album The Real Testament and "To Me You're Everything" by 98 Degrees from the album 98 Degrees and Rising link. In late 2007, latin hip hop trio The D.E.Y. sampled "Fantasy" on their single "Give You the World" released in late December, 2007. Just Blaze Sampled Fantasy for Jay-Z's As One which appeared on his Blueprint 2 album. Also in 2007 with the release of American Gangster a song by Jay-Z and Lil' Wayne sampled the beginning of Fantasy throughout the song. Pete Escovedo father of Shiela E covered Fantasy on his 1997 album E Street link.

Black Box remade the song for their debut studio album Dreamland in 1990. Their version featured an uncredited Martha Wash on lead vocals. Black Box's version of the song charted at #5 in the UK, #16 in Germany, and #3 in Australia.

Fantasy (fragrance)

It was released in the U.S. on September 15, 2005, following the successful previous perfume from Spears, "Curious", which made over $30 million in sales in the first three months of its launch.

The TV commercial for Fantasy Britney Spears was shot in Los Angeles and was directed by Bille Woodruff. It stars actor/model Nick Steele as the Hunter, with the background music as 'Breathe On Me'.

A spin-off fragrance entitled Midnight Fantasy was released in December 2006, in some department stores, and January 2007 everywhere else. The bottle is a dark blue version of the original pink bottle. Midnight Fantasy is described as having a black cherry accord.

The perfume initially sold well in December. However, events in Spears' personal life in January affected sales of the perfume, with analysts reporting that people were returning holiday perfume gift sets to stores in larger numbers than expected. Sanders observed that "the timing couldn't be worse" for such a downturn in sales of the perfume, because the craze for celebrity perfumes was already declining across all fragrances, having fallen 17% to USD140million in 2006. Sales have since reportedly started to rebound according to Macy's.

In April 2007, Spears set out a paparazzi contest with the aim of promoting the perfume. In an electronic mail message sent to her fans, she asked them to "share what happens to you when the clock strikes 12", by photographing their friends. Commentators observed that Spears' requirement that photographs not contain "nudity, obscenity, or violent depictions" would rule out several photographs taken of Spears herself that contained nudity.

The perfume is a spinoff fragrance of the original perfume Fantasy and it hit the stores in January. It is described as "a seductive scent that is all about expressing the many mysterious sides of a woman". The bottle, which is available in 30, 50 and 100 ml, is deep cherry red with pink crystals "symbolizing love, femininity and warmth" like the previous two.

The perfume was developed by perfumer Rodrigo-Flores Roux, who also worked on With Love Hilary Duff. The scent was "inspired by the singer's love of white florals, vanilla and luscious desserts", and the notes include sweet orange, tangerine, grapefruit blossom, verbena, jasmine, stargazer lily, sweet Napolitano cake, vanilla bean, jacaranda wood, fluid sandalwood and amber. It smells a little more grown-up than her previous perfumes.